Circle Gallery
What’s on the Walls: If you’re looking for Maryland’s next Charles Willson Peale, this is the place to watch. The gallery is dedicated to exhibiting works by Maryland-based novice artists, each voted into the exhibitions through juried shows, judged by art professionals from the likes of the National Gallery of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
Meet the Owner: Founded in 1963 by the Maryland Federation of Art (a nonprofit arts organization), the Circle Gallery is the state’s oldest artist-run gallery. “We’re very influential in the development of these artists’ careers,” explains executive director Bryan Bohn. “For budding artists, we often provide them with their first opportunity to exhibit their works.”
Creative Space: Contrary to what its name infers, the gallery does not have a round interior (it’s named after its location on State Circle.) The petite, forty-by-twenty foot space is the former storage loft of the Jones & Franklin general store, built circa 1840, made cozy by exposed beams, brick walls, and well-worn wooden flooring.
Featured Artists: Annapolis-based artist Esther Levy creates abstract oil paintings inspired by jazz. Printmaker and photographer Cynthia Alderdice creates her abstract African- and Tibetan-themed works on handmade paper. G. David Burch fashions granite and bronze primitive sculptures.
Don’t Miss: December 2-30: “Movable Feast,” an exhibit of affordable artwork from more than a hundred artists.
On Exhibit: Oct. 29-Nov. 11: photographs by Terry Peterson. Oct. 31-Nov. 28: works by painter Orhan Alpaslan and sculptor Eric Garner. Nov. 12-22: paintings by Sue Goodman.
Contact: 18 State Circle, Annapolis. 410-268-4566 or http://www.mdfedart.org.—Kessler Burnett
Gallery Viviann Napp
What’s on the Walls: Works by Eastern European artists, from painters and glassmakers to sculptors and mixed media artists
Meet the Owner: Vivian Napp was born in Quebec to Estonian parents. In 1990, she visited Estonia for the first time, and in 1995, returned to open a framing shop and gallery in its capital city, Tallinn. She discovered Easton in 2000 while visiting a friend in nearby Oxford. “I was wandering around town last fall and found this building. Four months later, I bought it,” says the avid sailor, who has master’s degrees in special needs education, French, and English as a second language. “The local art scene definitely made a positive impression on me.”
Creative Space: Opened this past June, it’s likely the coziest of all the galleries in the region, with its Three Little Bears cottage appeal, complete with steep, chalet-style roof. The building was originally a carriage house and stable, built circa 1870, and was transformed into an arts and crafts residence in the 1920s. Every room in the two-story building showcases art—even the upstairs bathroom, where the claw-foot bathtub has been transformed into a makeshift pond and plant holder. And it might just be the only gallery on the Shore where (well-behaved) dogs are welcome.
Featured Artists: Latvian painter Aleksej Naumovf specializes in bold plein air landscapes in oil and acrylic. German artist Willi Kissmer creates nudes, still lifes, and images of residential architecture through a combination of etching, aquatint, drypoint, and mezzotint techniques.
Don’t Miss: Through November, see the works of Sara Breiksa, who creates pigments in glue on canvas.
On Exhibit: Nov. 3- Dec. 22: glass works by Anitra Berzina. Dec. 1-31: various Russian artists, featuring festive winter themes.
Contact: 109 South St., Easton, Md. 410-770-9506 or http://www.vnapp.com.—K.B.
Packard Reath Gallery
What’s on the Walls: The chocolate-brown walls of Packard Reath display a wide range of fine-art photography from forty international artists: panoramic color landscapes, black-and-white studies of rodeo cowboys, and sepia-toned close-ups of seashells.
Meet the Owners: Throughout their Baltimore careers, Reath and gallery partner Sally Packard (Reath at the Wellness Community, Packard in social work) shared a love for photography, which they both collected, and for Lewes. They opened the gallery in 1998: “We’re reinventing ourselves in our sixties,” says Reath.
Creative Space: Originally located in The Inn at Canal Square, Packard Reath moved across the street (above Café Azafran) earlier this year. The intimate exhibit space has one room, with windows that overlook the roofs and gardens of neighboring houses.
Featured Artists: Packard Reath opened with a bang: The first photographer it showed was Ansel Adams. Other well-known exhibited artists include the masters of Bay landscapes,M. E. Warren and Aubrey Bodine. The fine art photography of Annapolitan Celia Pearson includes abstract images of sea glass, flowers, and seashells. Striking images of flowers by photographer Amy Lamb.
Don’t Miss: The cowboy photographs by Belgian-born Wouter Deruytter are the newest addition to the gallery.
On Exhibit: Nov. 25-Jan.1, 2007: “New Work,” features works by Pennsylvania photographer Lisa Tyson Ennis, including her new tintypes, a series on Longwood Gardens, as well as haunting sepia-toned photographs of crashing waves.
Contact: Packard Reath Gallery, 109 West Market St., Lewes, Del. 302-644-7513 or http://www.packardreathgallery.com.—Connie Bond
McBride Gallery
What’s on the Walls: Works by more than sixty national and regional artists: watercolors, oils, sculpture, pastels, scratchboard, ceramics, and photography.
Meet the Owner: Annapolitans have Cynthia McBride to thank for the town’s blossoming gallery population, now twenty strong. In 1978, when McBride opened her former gallery, The Annapolis Marine Art Gallery, it was one of only four in Annapolis—as well as the area’s first Bay-themed gallery. In 1980, she sold the Marine Art Gallery to open McBride, which began with fifteen artists. “I was very determined to grow the number of galleries in town, and opening a second one was a means to achieve that,” she says. “I saw Annapolis as my hometown. And if I were going to have a gallery here, I wanted this to be the best gallery town in the country.” In 1980, she helped start the Annapolis Gallery Association (AGA). Within two years of the AGA’s inception, the number of galleries in town doubled. “I really wanted to support the other galleries and wanted everyone to be successful together,” says McBride, who, in 1990, created the annual Annapolis Art Walk, held on the third Thursday evening in August.
Creative Space: A former colonial residence (the land was once owned by William Paca, one of Annapolis’s founding fathers and signer of the Declaration of Independence), the homey gallery has seven rooms on the first floor, where an abundance of different media and artists share the same wall space. “I like to hang the art as you would in your home—above fireplaces, over furniture, and in groupings,” says McBride. “It looks more natural.”
Featured Artists: Annapolis-based plein air painter John Ebersberger is best known for his color-drenched, hypnotic landscapes. Maryland artist Paula Waterman specializes in scratchboard and oil paintings of landscapes and animals, particularly wading birds, dogs, and horses.
Don’t Miss: Nov. 19-Dec. 10: “Classic Still Life,” the first solo show of Eastern Shore oil painter Lois Engberg, who has been influenced by the Dutch Old Masters.
On Exhibit: Through Nov. 12: “Autumn Celebration,” a group show of thirty artists, featuring the oil paintings (figurative work, landscapes, and still lifes) of Louis Escobedo.
Contact: 215 Main St., Annapolis. 410-267-7077 or http://www.mcbridegallery.com.—K.B.
Bishop’s Stock
What’s on the Walls: This stylish, expansive gallery is filled with works by local and regional artists and artisans, including paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and hand-blown glasswork.
Meet the Owner: Born and raised in Snow Hill, owner Ann Coates moved from community activism to the gallery business three years ago (though she’s still a prime force in town). She and her lawyer husband, Randy, bought the building (a former machine shop) and renovated it, titling the gallery after her middle name, Bishop, a family name that goes back to her Snow Hill ancestors in the seventeenth century.
Creative Space: It’s a brightly lit, cavernous space with a historic feel. Two massive steel beams left over from its working days separate the pitched roof’s exposed wooden trusses and framework from the exhibit area below, which is bathed in natural light from its many windows. Small groupings of overstuffed chairs invite the visitor to stay a while.
Featured Artists: Berlin, Md., oil painters Kirk McBride and Lynne Lockhart specialize in painting colorful plein air landscapes and animals, respectively. Ocean City metal sculptor Tuve Tuvesson crafts Bay-dwelling animals, such as birds in flight and sea turtles in motion. Pungoteaque, Va., sculptor Maurice Spector crafts whimsical, contemporary figures in wood and resin.
Don’t Miss: The hands-down winner of the most unexpected objet d’art is the pedestal bathroom sink created by Ocean City ceramic artist Colleen Everett, a glittering mosaic of fish, turtles, and other denizens of the deep, swimming in an aquamarine and purple sea (Yes, Everett does commissions.)
On Exhibit: Dec.1-31: “Artful Giving,” for holiday shoppers, the gallery will feature small and miniature works of art.
Contact: Bishop’s Stock, 202 W. Green St., Snow Hill, Md. 410-632-3555 or bishopsstock.com.—C.B.
Carla Massoni Gallery
What’s on the Walls: Contemporary paintings and sculpture by artists primarily from the Mid-Atlantic region but also artists from throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe, and South Africa.
Meet the Owner: Massoni, an avid art collector since age eighteen, began exhibiting work in Chestertown’s Imperial Hotel in the early 1990s. She opened her first gallery in Chestertown in 1991 and moved to her current location four years later. “I’m interested in exhibiting artists who are exploring different viewpoints while still utilizing traditional techniques. We try to have an educational component ranging from workshops to a series of lectures accompanying our exhibits. Our goal is to create a total experience. We want people to walk away having learned something about what the artist is thinking while still being exposed to something beautiful or provocative.”
Creative Space: “If only people could have seen this space before we cleaned it up,” recalls Massoni. “It was a burnt-out shell, filled with bats and pigeons.” The former storage space, gutted by fire, was transformed into an urban, loft-style gallery. The focal point is a curved cherry staircase, designed by Chestertown woodworker Vicco von Voss. “People drag their friends in here just to see it and feel it,” says Massoni. “It’s a masterpiece.”
Featured Artists: Maryland-based sculptor Bart Walter, considered to be one of the nation’s finest contemporary wildlife artists, works exclusively in bronze and captures the grace of animals in motion. Mary Dunn Ramsey’s large scale canvases evoke the subtle beauty and power of Eastern Shore waterways, while Karen Hubacher’s bold, colorful abstract paintings mirror the patchwork of the region’s farms.
Don’t Miss: Check out the gallery’s new Art Annex on Cross Street, where Massoni exhibits the work of the twenty artists she represents on a full-time basis and houses a separate art consulting division. (112 South Cross St., 410-778-3369)
On Exhibit: Nov. 3-11: An exhibit honoring Chestertown’s Sultana Downrigging Weekend by painter Marc Castelli, known for his watercolors of Eastern Shore waterman, workboats, and sailing vessels. Nov. 18-Dec. 16: “Beyond Reach,” an exhibit of realist watercolors and oil paintings by Greg Mort, a noted Maryland artist and amateur astronomer.
Contact: 203 High St., Chestertown, Md. 410-778-7330 or http://www.massoniart.com.—K.B.
Gallery RoCa
What’s on the Walls: Only original works of art (no prints) in an eclectic mix of media—oil, watercolor, pastel, bronze, glass, and porcelain—by notable local, regional, and international artists.
Meet the Owner: Owner Robert Cappelletti started painting five years ago and opened Gallery RoCa (derived from his name) in June 2005, after an MCI/Worldcom layoff ended his twenty-year stint in corporate America. A resident of nearby Perryville, he located in Havre de Grace partly because he figured that the many empty nesters moving into the 2,400 luxury units going up behind Bulle Rock and the 8,000 military personnel moving to Aberdeen would have “lots of wall space to be filled.” “I currently have some lower-priced paintings primarily to appeal to people who are looking to decorate their home,” says Cappelleti. “But my five-year plan is to be geared predominantly for the collector.”
Creative Space: The 3,500-square-foot, T-shaped gallery occupies a circa-1896 downtown storefront, originally a clothing store and most recently an antiques mall. The space almost suggests a church, with the floor sloping upward from the street entrance, past paintings on both sides, toward an altar-like stone counter flanked by art-filled niches at the rear of the gallery.
Featured Artists: Cappelletti’s own highly detailed realistic paintings are the gallery’s top sellers. Joanne Alsruhe from Port Deposit specializes in vibrant floral paintings. Jorge Alberto is a Cuban-born Baltimore artist known for trompe l’oeil paintings.
Don’t Miss: Although Havre de Grace’s communal First Friday knocks off for the winter, Gallery RoCa offers live classical music performances by Peabody Institute alumni—which sound great under the gallery’s tin ceiling—and light refreshments the first Friday of each month year-round.
On Exhibit: Oct. 7–Nov. 28: “Quality of Light,” recent paintings by Joanne Alsruhe. Dec. 2–Jan. 15, 2007: “8 X 10,” a second annual holiday show, featuring small (eight-by-ten-inch) pieces by various RoCa artists.
Contact: 220 N. Washington St., Havre de Grace, Md. 410-939-6182 or http://www.galleryroca.com.—Theodore Fischer
Museum of Liminalist Art
What’s on the Walls: Contemporary works by gallery owners/sisters Marilee Schumann, a sculptor who works in cast iron and bronze, and Faith Wilson, a painter and floor cloth designer.
Meet the Owner: Wilson and Schumann moved the gallery, formerly located in Chestertown’s Radcliff Mill, to its present location in 2005. “My sister likes to use the word ‘liminalist’ to describe what we do,” explains Wilson. “It means to be on the threshold of an idea, and that really defines our work together because we come from two different schools of thought. Marilee has an MSA, and I am self- taught. It’s a space where you can make a transition from the intuitive to the intellectual.”
Creative Space: The two-room gallery (one room is Wilson’s studio) showcases up to twenty pieces of art, including handmade books, prints, pottery, sculpture, and floor cloths.
Don’t Miss: Wilson’s works in Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum exhibit, “Bazaart,” on November 25 (http://www.avam.org).
On Exhibit: Oct. 6-Nov. 15: “Minimal Destruction,” an exhibit of Wilson’s floor cloths and Schumann’s sculptures. Through Nov. 16: “First Fire,” a group exhibit of abstract cast bronze works by seven regional sculptors: Lincoln Mudd, Breon Gilleron, Steven Jones, Patrick Burke, Marilee Schumann, Megan VanWagner, and Mahasti Mudd.
Contact: 307 High St., Suite E, Chestertown, Md. 410-708-4652 or http://www.faithwilsonart.com.—K.B.
Pop Rocks
What’s on the Walls: Pop art (from paintings to silk screens) created by nationally and internationally recognizable artists of the twentieth and twenty-first century.
Meet the Owners: Friends Kimberly Grimm, Kelly Phillips, Jackie Blue, and Cassandra Toroian opened the gallery in 2005. “We fell in love with the concept of pop art and liked the idea that it made you smile, and that it was unique,” says Grimm. “We thought that people who are buying their second homes at the beach should have something different to hang on their walls.”
Creative Space: The cozy gallery is a one-room space with white walls, which allow the bold colors, typical of pop art, to, well, pop.
Featured Artists: Warhol protégé Steve Kaufman creates art serigraphs on silk-screened canvas. Nelson De La Nuez’s juxtaposed images are both humorous and nostalgic cartoons. Matt Adler creates boldly colored cartoons, which have been compared to works by pop artist Roy Lichtenstein.
Don’t Miss: First Friday exhibits, featuring a new artist every month, as well as wine, cheese, and live music.
On Exhibit: The gallery reopens for the summer in May and closes for the season in September.
Contact: 39 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del. 302-227-0502 or http://www.poprocksart.com.—K.B.
ArtFX
What’s on the Walls: Handmade fine arts and crafts by seventy regional artisans, including potters, jewelry makers, wood carvers, photographers, painters, and folk artists.
Meet the Owners: Owners Erik and Megan Evans opened the gallery in 2001 as a place to highlight Megan’s hand-thrown pottery. “We started with sixteen artists, and it has grown exponentially since then,” says Erik, a native of Bowie, Md. “Our clients are people who crave fine-quality art in a mass-produced world.”
Creative Space: With such an abundant variety of artsy inventory, resting atop tables and hanging on the tropical-colored walls, it’s not hard to lose your focus in the 1,000-square-foot gallery.
Featured Artists: Folk artist Jimmy Reynolds is an Eastern Shore native who uses pine panels, acrylics, and ink to create landscapes and seascapes that mix time periods. Michael Fisher crafts wooden jewelry boxes, pill boxes, business card holders, and secret lock boxes. (He replants ten trees for every tree used in production.) Don’t Miss: Check out the monthly First Sunday Arts, which celebrates the gallery’s featured artist.
On Exhibit: Nov. 5-Dec 24: Annual holiday ornament show, featuring Christmas creations (ornaments made from etched gourds, papier-mâché, and wood turnings) designed by more than twenty artists. Dec. 1-24: exhibit of precious and semi-precious gemstones, cut and designed into wearable art by the gallery’s in-house jewelry artist Jeff Delude.
Contact: 45 West St., Annapolis. 410-990-4540 or http://www.artfxgallery.org.—K.B.
